The Figaro Murders by Laura Lebow

A Brief Summary: 
Lorenzo De Ponte made a modest living as the court poet in Vienna. When he made an impulsive agreement, one that would cause him no end of hassle. This agreement, to help find his barber's birth parents, would embroiled him in a murder that he must help solve. All while working on The Marriage of Figaro with Mozart.

My Review:
Murder, betrayal, intrigue, unrequited love The Murder of Figaro has it all. This book originally caught my eye because a couple of my friends performed a duet from The Marriage of Figaro for solo and ensemble when we were in high school. I fell in love with that duet then, and with rose tinted glasses picked up the book. I enjoyed the book just as much.

Choosing to focus on the librettist (libretto writer, libretto being the singers copy) rather than the more famous composer (wrote the musical score) Mozart was, in my opinion, a great choice. He's lesser known so it gives you more wiggle room when writing a fictional story. Also the author so kindly provided some details from his real life, and about his operas in the author's note.

The characters that the author created for seamlessly into De Ponte's life. While the characters with real life counterparts stayed true.

I enjoy how all of the plot lines got resolved, from the premiere of Figaro, to the murder, and even finding the barber's parents. It's all interwoven and plays out beautifully, while subtly hinting that there maybe a sequel on the horizon.

This book is set to release on March 31st 2015.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe

A Brief Summary:
Pretending to be a courtesan is something no gently bred lady would ever consider. However when it comes down to it Julia decided she would rather play the part then be sent to debtors prison or be propositioned by a perfectly loathsome man. Now Julia is of to Venice to seduce her husband, conceive an heir and try not to lose her heart in the process.

My Review:
I have a deep seeded fondness for a good historical romance and this is a great one. I adore Julia she remains sweet and good natured despite dire circumstances. She also has a fiery personality that makes her the perfect compliment for her rake of a husband.

The only part I didn't love was how long it took Nick to get his head out of his ass and apologize. However it made his courting phase really rather cute especially since it's a side he doesn't show often.

Another character that I grew quite fond of is Simon. He's one of  Nick's oldest friends and considers Julia a sister. I'm excited to see just what is in store for him in the next installment of this series.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker

A Brief Summary:  Set in Italy in the late 1890's during the Spiritualist movement. Focusing on the Witch of Napoli also known as Alessandra Poverelli, facing skeptics and the possibility of being permanently possessed.  The story is told by her friend and aspiring editor Tomaso Labella, chronicling her life and all of her secrets. However sometimes secrets shouldn't be revealed.

My Review:
To think that someone really lived this kind of life, traveled the world, was studied because so many believed she had a little something extra. It's incredible, if not a life to be coveted.

I love how so much real history is added into the story. Such as references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the vile Father Savonarola. The descriptions of everything were so realistic and made you feel as if you were there. From adding in bits of the languages from all the countries they visit, to vivid descriptions, the amount of description is incredible.

A wonderful historical fiction. A must read for any fans of Italian history.

I recieved this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose

A Brief Summary: Sandrine moves to Paris to escape the aftermath of her father's suicide and an abusive husband. Staying with her grandmother, who happens to be a renowned courtesan, she finds Paris to be seductive. Especially mansion La Lune, her family's ancestral home that her grandmother has closed indefinitely. Despite being forbidden she's drawn there and falls under the spell many of her ancestors succumbed to. Will she be able to withstand the curse?

My Review:

This was an incredible story. There's passion, intrigue, and a touch of the occult, a perfect blend of these elements and more.

I love how all of the occult parts of the book are references to beliefs that people used to hold. From alchemy to magic spells they all have their roots in history.

I also enjoy Sandrine's grandmother's reaction to Sandrine's obsession with La Lune, both the house and the woman it was named after.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

In a Vertigo of Silence by Miriam Polli

A Brief Summary:
Emily's family has secrets. After all who doesn't? But these secrets have caused a family to be fractured, the subtle balance of sanity to be shifted and all for what? A secret that is hidden from Emily from the time she was six weeks old. Now it's the time for the secret to be revealed, how will it coming out in to the open effect Emily and her family?

My Review:
This book spans a wide period of time, from about 1920-1966. Granted it's not linear it's divided up into chapters switching from Emily's perspective to one of her relatives in the past.

The story is one that makes you stop and think. It deals with adultery, death, abuse and mental illness in a time when it was even less understood. All things that are powerful on their own, but woven together as skillfully as Miriam has, it's breath taking.

At times I felt torn in who to root for, I mean Emily is the obvious protagonist but when you learn why some of the other characters made the choices they did, you start to like them more and root for them.

I really hope this author keeps writing. Her work is inspiring and profound, and I'm sad that she has no other novels published yet because I'd love to read them.

Warning this book might make you cry and give you large amounts of feels, and it's completely worth it.

I received this book courtesy of Net Galley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings

A Brief Summary:
Rosa Garner is a young widow who has left her home in Mexico to travel with her mother-in-law to Texas. Here is the ancestral home of her late husband, after being shunned by her family it seems like the best place to start over. To her it represents her hopes and dreams maybe even a place to find love, but the town is skeptical as she has no idea how to behave like a lady. In steps Weston  Garner, he'll do anything to protect his family and that now includes more. But when she gets feelings for him outside of the realm of family things get a might bit more complicated.With only three months to save her new home will Rosa be able to do it, and manage not to fall for Weston?

My Review:
This is a sweet love story with a hint of faith. Rosa is a young widow who never had the love of her husband. Weston is a widower who blames himself for the death of his wife. The two are an unlikely couple, but when has that ever stopped anyone?

I adored the importance of family in this story. From Rosa's determination to help her mother-in-law, to the overwhelming support of the extended family. All in all a good read.

The Flip by Micheal Phillip Cash

Take a dilapidated house fix it up a bit and sell it. That's house flipping, Brad and Julie's hope for the future. To get her out of a dead end job with a sketchy boss, and to get him out of driving limos and doing landscaping. So they've taken a pretty big risk, an old Victorian home, it's a steal of a price but what's wrong with it? Well there's a lot of work that needs to be done, oh and it's haunted. There is that minor detail, and one of the ghosts has a tiny bit of a thing for Brad, but nothing could possibly go wrong could it?

This is a book that once you pick it up you don't want to put it down. After reading The After House, I was really excited to read more by Micheal Cash, and this doesn't disappoint. It seems he has truly found his niche. Tying the past into the present, having two distinct story lines mesh beautifully, all masterfully done.

I enjoyed how Julie and Brad's personalities are altered when in the house. Seeing as they are being influenced by the resident ghosts. Of the characters Gerald is my favorite, he's one of the ghosts. He's the most level-headed and in my opinion has the best back story. Tessa, the female ghost, however I'm not a major fan of.

Personally I'm really curious about the Sentinels, the guardians of the lost souls. They've made an appearance in both of the books I've read so far and they seem to have abilities that have yet to be explained. I hope future books touch on them more.

I can't wait to read more by Micheal he clearly knows what he's doing.

I received this book courtesy of Micheal's publicist in exchange for my free and honest review.

Return to Exile by Lynne Gentry

A year in exile has been hard on Cyprian Thascius. Before his exile he was a man of firm faith and belief  so firm he willingly offered his life for his faith, but since returning his faith is unsure. He left behind a wife Lisbeth, a woman who had fallen into his life from far in the future, but upon his return she was gone, returned to her own time.  Cyprian with the help of his late friends dear wife he tries to rally the believers in this trouble time. A few months later his wife comes home to save him and prevent an epidemic, bringing with her their daughter, Maggie. However in the time Lisbeth was gone and his exile lifted Cyprian has married another and she carries his child. Will fate allow these star crossed lovers to be together, or will all end in tragedy?

I liked and didn't like the characters.Cyprian because he terribly failed at the two wives thing. He blatantly ignored Lisbeth most of the time, when by all laws she was his true wife. Ruth was Cyprian's second wife and Lisbeth's closest friend, the fact he was barely home from exile and she married him right a way was a sucky move, but was also a major plot device. The other characters I mostly like some I wish I knew more about, but I'd probably learn quite a bit from reading the first book.

I really loved the time travel aspect of this story. How it is all tied to one point, one cave, one source of water. Also how time passes differently, what was a year and a half in third century Carthage, was almost 6 years in the 21st century. It allowed for Maggie to be born and to be old enough to have a personality, mind and fears of her own. It was slightly weird however when it came to Cyprian meeting his daughter, he could have been a little more shocked at the fact that she was 5 rather than slightly over a year as she would have been if born and raised in Carthage.

All in all I liked this book and the series shows some definite promise. This is the second novel in The Carthage Chronicles however you get enough back story as to not be confused.

I received this book compliments of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar

It's the turn of the century and the Stephens siblings are shaking up conventions. Vanessa, Virgina, Thoby and Adrian, the center of what will become known as the Bloomsbury Group. They and their friends will shake up the world of art and literature, but at the beginning they were just a group of friends with grand ideals. When Vanessa falls in love things and start to change the already fragile Virgina starts to teeter on the brink madness. With deceit and betrayal running rampant Vanessa has to decide weather to keep everyone happy or to focus on herself.

I'm just not sure what to think of this book. There is passion and betrayal, love and worry, madness and sanity. It's a really good book, but it was hard for me to get through. I could only take it in a little bit at a time. It was definitely worth reading though.

It is written in the form of a diary, told from Vanessa's point of view. You see her struggles with her sister, whom she loves but gets irritated to no end with. How she adores her brother Thoby, her feelings about the entire group. This also includes letters and telegrams from several of the different people involved.

The pacing is very slow, and very disjointed. It makes the story hard to follow at times. It was  probably the reason that I had such a hard time getting into and staying interested in the book.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my review which I freely and honestly give.

84 Ribbons by Paddy Edger

To any serious dancer, to dance is their life. They eat, sleep, and breathe dance, that is Miss Marta Selbryth. She has danced since she was five, and at seventeen she has been accepted into a professional dance troupe in Billings Montana. At first it's a dream come true, but it's a lot of hard work. She has to move and live on her own for the first time in her life. When the pressure starts to build she turns to diet pills to keep her weight down and her energy up. Will she be able to handle the pressure of the troupe and beginning of her first relationship?

I really truly enjoyed this book. I liked observing Marta, she's driven, talented, and intelligent. She is so focused on her goal that she refuses to let anything be more important than dancing. It's why she makes some of the decisions that she does. Because she need to have some semblance of control, when it seems like everything is going wrong.

This book talks about addiction, and weight issues in a very real way. It shows that anyone can have problems. Even if someone insists that they're fine, they may not be, if you never see them eat.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Manga Classics Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and SunNeko Lee

A retelling of the classic story Les Miserables full of love, and tragedy, and violence, and hope, and so many things.  Step in to meet Jean Valjean, Fantine, Inspector Javert, Cosette, and Marius. They will touch your heart and make you fall in love with them and their struggles.

Not going to lie, having had friends who preformed in this play I'm a bit biased to this story. And this interpretation nailed it.

There is a reason this book is a classic, and I am so happy that it was made in to a manga. It makes it a lot more accessible to read. While preserving everything that makes this a wonderful story. The character illustrations are spot on. You see the changes that befall the characters in a way that can only be done in manga.

This book will be available for purchase on August 12 2014. I will post a reminder as the date gets closer.

This book was given to my by NetGalley for my review which I freely and honestly give.

Betrothal by Mande Mathews

Lady Guinevere and King Aurthur are part of an age old love triangle. However it's not quite what you think, Guinevere loves Lancelot and not Aurthur. It's time to learn her story and how she became queen of Camelot.

I love historical fiction especially when it's accurate to the time and this is wonderfully so. I loved Guinevere getting a back story and a personality, something she doesn't have way too much of in the source material. I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

As it's an episodic series I may or may not review more of the stories depending on if they'd have any spoilers.

The Mystery Box By Eva Pohler

Yvette is a stay at home mom, a life full of scouts, helping with homework, and dealing with a complaining neighbor. When she receives a box ment for her neighbor Mona, Yvette braves going to her house and Mona begins a terrible tale one that will affect Yvette more then she realizes.

This book was so intense and shocking that there is no way to tell what's coming. There's Taliban involvement, betrayal, murder and so much more. I could not put this book down it's captivating. I look forward to the rest of this series and hope it will be just as spellbinding.

Jars of Clay by Lee Strauss

She is the master's daughter he is the son of a freedman any interaction between them is forbidden but love? That's punishable by death. At least for the boy, she'd just be married off. A fate as terrible if not worse. This is the destiny of Helena and Lucius. For they have done what the must not they fell in love.

A historical fiction that switches POV between the lovers and a few of the other characters. It is a short sweet story a few inaccuracies as far as the history goes but a good story none the less.

The Fairytale Bride by Kelly McClymer

Beautiful princesses and daring princes filled Miranda's imagination and stories but when the hint of a scandal destroys her season she gives up on a happily ever after for herself. When her brothers  love is forbidden she goes to the one person who may have the power to change it, the Duke of Kerstone. However things don't exactly go according to plan and she ends up married to him. Will they get a happily ever after or will the Duke 's dark past tear them apart?

Such a good story! It's a historical romance set in London where marriage was almost never for love, it was a business transaction. So true to form this book does the opposite of what probably would have happened in real life. Then again that's what fiction is for! Also this is a great example of the genera.

Six of One by JoAnn Spears

Dolly is about to marry Harry, she's going to be his seventh wife. If that wasn't scary enough Dolly is a history professor specializing in the Tudors. For those  of you who don't recognize the name, maybe you'll recognize this one Henry the VIII , as in the king who had six wives. Irony, yeah a little bit. On the eve of her wedding she becomes trapped in a place with generations of Tudor women trying to convince her not to make a marital mistake like they all had. Will she marry Harry? Or will she heed the advice of the Tudors?

The history behind the Tudors is incredible, full of twist and turns intrigue and murder lots of murder. And this new take on the history is fascinating. Fleshing out characters that you know some but not very much of. And bringing them to life, and celebrating not just how they died but who they were and what the did. I loved this story, romance and history combined beautifly.

Asenath By Anna Patricio

Everyone who has either grown up Christian or studied Christianity knows the story of Joseph. Not Joesph father of Jesus, mind you, but Joseph son of Jacob who interpreted the dreams of the pharaoh. However you never hear anything about his with his wife. Her name was Asenath and this is her story.

I love historical fiction, stories of people who lived that you only know the basics about. Building a story surrounding them, fleshing them out making them real giving us an idea of who they could have been. Asenath takes a name and creates a person and a history. Giving her purpose and giving an outsiders perspective on such a beloved tale. This is a great story for anyone who is interested by Christian history.